Eleuthero Bark
Eleuthero Bark (오가피, 五加皮) is recorded in the Donguibogam as a wind-damp dispelling herb. Its nature is warm and its taste pungent, bitter, associated with the Liver, Kidney meridians. Traditional uses recorded in the text include dispels wind-damp, strengthens sinews and bones, tonifies liver and kidney. Caution: Warming and drying; traditionally used cautiously in yin-deficiency with heat.
Overview
Eleuthero bark — from a thorny relative of ginseng — is the Donguibogam’s herb for strengthening sinew and bone against wind-damp. Recorded as treating the "five taxations and seven damages," it was prized for firming weak legs, easing joint pain, and building resilience, and remains a well-known Korean tonic bark today. The classical entry (五加皮) does not textually distinguish species — both common eleuthero (Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus) and its more thorn-covered relative, marketed today as "gasi-ogapi" (Eleutherococcus senticosus, the species usually meant by "Siberian ginseng" in Western herbal commerce), trace back to this same classical entry.
In the Donguibogam
寶鑑
Traditional uses recorded in the Donguibogam
- Dispels wind-damp
- Strengthens sinews and bones
- Tonifies liver and kidney
- Firms weak legs and lower back
Traditional applications recorded in the classical text
- Joint pain from wind-damp
- Weak, aching legs and lower back
- Slow development in children (classical use)
- General fatigue with weakness
Traditional preparation
Also steeped as a medicinal liquor (ogapi-ju).
The original text records which parts to gather and when; it does not give a method of taking it or a dose.
This describes traditional preparation recorded in the classics, not a recommendation for use today. DonguiHub does not provide dosage guidance — consult a qualified professional before using any herb.
Appearance, harvest and preparation recorded in the classic
生山野, 樹生小叢, 莖間有刺. 五葉生枝端, 如桃花, 有香氣. 三四月開白花, 結細靑子, 至六月漸黑色. 根若荊根, 皮黃黑, 肉白, 骨硬.It grows in hills and fields as a small shrub with thorns between the stems. Five leaves grow at the tip of each branch, like peach blossom, and it is fragrant. White flowers open in the third and fourth months, and small green fruits turn gradually black by the sixth month. The root resembles that of the vitex shrub (荊); the bark is yellowish-black, the flesh white and the core hard.
五月七月採莖, 十月採根, 陰乾.Stems are gathered in the fifth and seventh months and roots in the tenth month, then dried in the shade.
上應五車星精而生, 故葉五出者佳. 延年不老, 仙經藥也.It was thought to arise in response to the essence of the Five Chariots star group, so plants with five-lobed leaves were preferred, and it was called a drug of the immortals’ scriptures that prolongs life. This is a classical belief, not a claim confirmed by modern evidence.
Quoted from the Donguibogam (Tangaek-pyeon). The translation is our own summary of the original; these are historical records, not instructions or medical claims.
Cautions
Frequently asked questions
Is eleuthero related to ginseng?
Yes — both are in the Araliaceae family. Eleuthero (once called "Siberian ginseng") is a thorny shrub whose bark is used to strengthen sinew and bone, distinct from true Panax ginseng but sharing a tonic reputation.
Is "gasi-ogapi" (thorny eleuthero) a different herb from ogapi?
Botanically, gasi-ogapi (Eleutherococcus senticosus — the species usually meant by "Siberian ginseng" in Western commerce) is a distinct but closely related species from common ogapi (Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus). The Donguibogam's single 五加皮 entry, however, does not separate them by species — both trace to this same classical text and share its recorded properties.
What does "five taxations and seven damages" mean?
It is a classical umbrella term for the many forms of chronic depletion and overwork; the Donguibogam records eleuthero bark as tonifying this broad pattern of deep weakness.
Which part of Eleuthero is gathered, and when?
The Donguibogam records that stems are gathered in the fifth and seventh months and roots in the tenth month, then dried in the shade.
How does the Donguibogam describe the plant?
As a small thorny shrub with five leaves at the tip of each branch, white flowers in the third and fourth months, and green fruits that turn black by the sixth month.
Does the original text give a method or dose for Eleuthero wine?
The text records the parts and timing of harvest but gives no soaking method or dose. Please consult a qualified practitioner before use.
Sources
- 『동의보감』 탕액편, 허준, 1613 (원문) — 한문 원문
- 한의학고전DB (mediclassics.kr) — 원문 및 국역 자료 참조